


Whumptober 2020 - No.27 OK, Who Had Natural Disasters On Their 2020 Bingo Card?

by Jakkuor



Series: Whumptober 2020 [27]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Thunderstorms, this one came out real soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27257698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jakkuor/pseuds/Jakkuor
Series: Whumptober 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948606
Kudos: 1
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - No.27 OK, Who Had Natural Disasters On Their 2020 Bingo Card?

As the rain starts to come down in buckets, Kassandra is pretty glad they found that Tiny Hut scroll. It’s too bad Hafnear can’t just learn the spell, so she’ll definitely see about finding more scrolls. They’re probably not cheap, but it’d be worth it if it meant having somewhere nice and dry to spend nights like these.

A flash of lightning illuminates the area; and Kass starts to count, curious as to how close the storm is. She barely gets to three before thunder hits, a loud boom echoing throughout the sky. Sounds like it’s right over top of them. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to have woken any of her companions.

A thunderbolt strikes, even making Kass jump, and there’s a soft whimper from behind. She glances over her shoulder to find Jakkuor is awake, rubbing at her eyes.

“Hey, kiddo, you okay? Storm wake you up?”

“Y-Yeah,” she nods. “C-Can I… come sit with you?”

“‘Course you can.” There’s a warmth in Kassandra’s chest and she smiles; Jakk’s finally asking for things. It’s a small step, but it’s nice to know she feels that comfortable around them.

The tabaxi pads over to her, careful not to step on Hafnear’s tail. Kass opens her blanket, a silent offer to share. Jakk accepts, sitting right next to her, and she drapes it over her shoulders. 

Before either of them can say anything, another crash of thunder shakes the dome and sends Jakk hiding beneath the blanket, quivering.

“It’s okay, Jakk. The storm can’t hurt you any.” Kass gently pats her head. ”I know it sounds pretty scary.” An idea strikes her, “Do you wanna watch the lightning?”

“Wh-What?” Jakk peers up at her, poking her head out.

“The lightning. Sometimes it makes cool patterns. I was pretty scared of thunderstorms when I was your age too, so my dad and I would watch the sky, and keep track of how close the storm was,” Kass explains. It’s… a bit of a bittersweet memory now, after all that’s happened. But maybe it’ll help Jakk.

She seems to perk up a bit, “Okay!” She emerges from under the blanket and looks up towards the sky. She also allows Kassandra to pull her a little closer, putting one arm around her shoulders.

When the next lightning bolt streaks across the sky, forking off in different directions, she’s watching. She flinches at the thunder that follows, ears going flat against her head, but doesn’t hide from it. 

“What is it that scares you so much about the storm?” Kass asks, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Is it just how loud it is or…?”

Jakkuor rocks back and forth for a moment before answering, “Sometimes, i-if I got scared during one back at… at the place you guys rescued me from, they’d l-leave me tied to something outside ‘t-til morning.” She chews on the inside of her cheek, looking down at the floor. 

Kassandra’s heart aches at the idea of this tiny tabaxi being left out in the rain, “That’s awful. I’m sorry for asking about it.”

“I-It’s okay.”

There’s a beat of silence, where all they can hear is the rain beating against the Tiny Hut for a moment, and Jakk continues.

“I… I-I’m really glad you guys showed up when you did. I was scared I-I might never get to see my parents again. Some mornings I wake up a-and… It’s hard to believe I’m really out.” Her voice wavers, she sounds close to tears. 

“Could I give you a hug, Jakk?”

She nods vigorously, barely waiting for Kassandra to move. Kass can feel the pinprick of claws digging into her back as the tabaxi clings to her, but she says nothing, holding Jakk close. She needs this, no doubt. And when she buries her face into the crook of Kass’ neck and her shoulders start to quiver, Kassandra only tightens her grip, running one hand through her hair. 

She says nothing, because what is there to say? This kid’s been through hell and back, and there’s nothing Kass could possibly say to make it any better. She thought being on her own for a year was bad, she couldn’t begin to imagine being on her own for so much longer  _ and  _ being so savagely treated at the same time.

It’s awful to see such strength in someone so young.


End file.
